Song of Myself

Song of Myself
Walt Whitman

1
I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

Creeds and schools in abeyance,
Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten,
I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,
Nature without check with original energy.

Song of Myself has 52 stanzas. It's a loooong-ass poem. I decided that as a treat for us all, I will post one stanza each Monday for the next year. It's an insanely good poem, and it requires some thinking and mulling, I think.

Back in the summer of 'aught-three I wasn't having a great time. I had a stressful full-time job, a terrible living situation and was going to school. I think it was sheer desperation that drove me to livejournal, I needed somewhere to vent all kinds of spleen, or, really, just emote. One of the things I love about my livejournal is that it's pretty uncensored because I never imagined anyone reading it.

I used to have a hard time NOT being myself, but lately (in internet spaces, anyway) I'm finding it harder TO be myself. I keep being aware that I don't want to offend. And I don't, but. I don't, but.... I don't want to offend, but I fear I will. It can't be helped, I am a ridiculously marginal person. I believe fat people should be allowed to be fat. I believe Jesus the man is also the Christ and is God come in the form of man to demonstrate our purpose, which is to love God and ourselves, and he has given us each other upon which to practice our purpose. I now believe that eating animals and their products is an abomination, especially here in the US. As Isaac Bashevis Singer put it, for animals it is "an eternal Treblinka." I believe that we all have an inner life that we should share with others in whatever form is comfortable and real, and that it is our responsibility to do so...it's a way we love people.

Oh man, as I type I can think of more things I believe that would likely offend at least someone. That's how it is.

None of these things have I always believed. Maybe some of them I won't believe someday. But all of them have the power to offend, and I can't help it, they're what I believe and feel compelled to share.

This blog is going to be an exploration of the interrelatedness of some of my practices and beliefs, mostly in the areas of: spiritual expression, veganism (in theory and practice: meaning sometimes it'll be about animals, sometimes it'll be about how to eat a balanced nutritious vegan diet), and reviving creativity and why that's important. The fourth topic I hope to regularly explore will be a grabbag of "culture" meaning politics, current science, social issues, and entertainment. Those subjects all fit in the same category and have about the same weight/importance, in my opinion.

I keep feeling inhibited, but I'm going to push through that. I'd like this to be a safe space for commentary, as well. If I'm factually wrong (which WILL happen), please correct me. If I'm philosophically wrong, please share your belief. I like to think of myself as openminded, even though I'm often rigid. But listening to the inner lives/thoughts/loves of others is critical to me in my journey. Please be real, that's all I ask.